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Bourdainian Philosophy: the wisdom of No Reservations in Parts Unknown
A straightforward way of life as seen through the bottom of Anthony Bourdain’s empty beer glass.
For me, watching every episode of “Parts Unknown” and “No Reservations” made me wish I would one day run into Anthony Bourdain somewhere in the world — in a rundown local bar in a shithole country of course.
For those living under a big rock beyond the reach of YouTube, NetFlix or Hulu, Anthony Bourdain was always a chef, but also an author, and most know him as a travel documentarian. Despite being seen as one of the many Hollywood insiders, he wasn’t rich and didn’t make a big deal about money. He was just a regular guy with a busy travel schedule. He was loved by many around the world for his unpretentious, raw nature, and the way he wove words into wisdom that touched your soul. Some of them, well most of them, involved humility and a lot of colorful cuss words. All of it was drizzled with wisdom like a good curry-soaked Chettinad Chicken.
Sadly Tony left us in 2018 before I had a chance to meet him in person. I felt like I got to know enough about Anthony Bourdain in his books and videos to see that we had a lot of simple things in common, or at least it felt like he was the uncle I never had. We had a strange kinship of sorts that made his passing unexpectedly painful.
No, I’m not a chef. I can’t cook much that other people would find edible. I’m not a celebrity of any sort, although I have what’s known as a “face for radio”. I don’t have a travel show either — nobody would want to see me parading around the globe eating and drinking. I’m not even a very good writer (illustrated herein). But when I discovered Anthony Bourdain years ago, I liked what he had to say, how he said it, and most importantly, I discovered that we shared a lot of what I consider important things in common. Which makes his reasoning and wisdom a philosophy to me. And you might agree.
